Erling Haaland scores twice as Manchester City survive a scare, 3-2 against Ipswich Town

Manchester City stayed top of the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Ipswich Town at the Etihad, but it was far less comfortable than the final gap between the sides in the table suggested it would be. Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 19th minute, only for Ipswich to level two minutes later through Daizen Maeda, and a 90th-minute Zian Flemming penalty turned the closing stages into a genuine scramble.

In between, Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does. He headed City back in front from Mateo Kovacic's cross in the 34th minute, then restored a two-goal cushion in the 69th with a finish teed up by Iliman Ndiaye. Flemming's penalty, converted in stoppage time, meant City had to see out the closing minutes with Ipswich pushing bodies forward, but the result was never seriously in doubt once Haaland had put City two clear for the second time.

Line-ups

• Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Marc Guéhi, Rúben Dias, Nico O'Reilly; Matheus Nunes, Ayyoub Bouaddi; Phil Foden, Mateo Kovacic, Jérémy Doku; Erling Haaland, Iliman Ndiaye
• Ipswich Town (3-4-2-1): Christian Walton; Issa Diop, Jacob Greaves, Dara O'Shea; Leif Davis, Exequiel Palacios, Florentino, Abdoul Ouattara; Julio Enciso, Emersonn; Daizen Maeda

Match facts

• 19' — Phil Foden (Manchester City), assist Jérémy Doku
• 21' — Daizen Maeda (Ipswich Town), assist Abdoul Ouattara
• 34' — Erling Haaland (Manchester City), header, assist Mateo Kovacic
• 69' — Erling Haaland (Manchester City), assist Iliman Ndiaye
• 90' — Zian Flemming (Ipswich Town), penalty

Haaland's brace, and how close Ipswich still got

City arrived unbeaten in the Premier League through six matchweeks, their only defeat in any competition this season a 4-2 loss at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League just three days earlier. None of that early dominance showed in the opening quarter of an hour at the Etihad, where City's 69.8% of the ball did produce Foden's opener from a Doku cutback — but what should have been a routine afternoon turned edgy the moment Maeda got in behind Ipswich's own low block two minutes later and finished first time.

Haaland's header just past the half-hour was the goal that mattered most, because it let City dictate the rest of the half on their own terms again. His second, driven in from Ndiaye's pass in the 69th minute, looked at the time like it had settled the contest for good — City had scored three without reply in open play and Ipswich had barely created anything beyond their early goal. The penalty converted by Flemming in the last minute did not change the result, but it did mean City's bench spent the closing stretch standing rather than sitting.

The damage was done by one number more than any other: sixteen fouls committed by Ipswich to City's eight, and five offsides as the away side pushed their back three higher than they are used to in an attempt to stay in the game. It is the kind of game state Ipswich have been in often this season — they arrived at the Etihad with three defeats in their last five, each of them against sides capable of taking a two-goal cushion and defending it without too much fuss.

What this does to the table

City went into the weekend top of the Premier League on 18 points from six games, three clear of nearest challengers Arsenal, and a seventh straight league win stretches that gap further. Ipswich had been 10th on 9 points after Matchweek 6, inside the top half on goal difference alone; a fourth defeat in seven games keeps them in mid-table rather than the bottom third, but the margins above and below them in the Premier League are thin enough that a run of results either way could move them several places by Christmas.

What's next

Manchester City travel to Aston Villa on Saturday 24 October, a tricky trip against a side that beat Newcastle United the same weekend as this game. Ipswich Town are back at Portman Road on Friday 23 October to face Nottingham Forest, looking for the win that would be their first in three Premier League matches.